1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a spatter shielding and vapor venting device for a frying pan, and more particularly to a device that is placed on the rim of a frying pan and covering the entire open surface area of the frying pan, said device being provided with a transparent lid for visual observation of the cooking process; a vertical hollow cylinder for rapid return of condensed oil into the frying pan; a handle attached to the said hollow cylindrical wall for holding steady the hot device; a peripheral horizontal flange for resting on the rim of a frying pan; a vertical cylindrical flange for preventing lateral motion and for shielding the contact area between the peripheral horizontal flange and the rim of a frying pan from spattering liquids; a vertical window opening in the vertical cylindrical wall for the introduction and removal of food or for the insertion of an instrument to stir or turn over food; a cover for the vertical window opening that provides maximum shielding through a hands-free opening and automatic closing mechanism for preventing the escape of spatters even during the performance of said cooking operations; and a peripheral venting gap between the lid and the top rim of the vertical cylindrical wall for discharging vapors generated during the frying process.
2. Prior Art
During a normal course of food frying process utilizing oil or fat, the contact of moisture containing food with the hot oil or fat produces extreme spattering of the liquids and food particles out of the frying pan to considerable distance, thereby not only messes up stove tops and surrounding surfaces but also creates an undue hazard to nearby people. The problems of grease fires in the kitchen as well as severe burns to people are well documented. In order to contain the spattering of hot liquids and solids and also to obviate a major safety hazard and messiness in the kitchen, the conventional means is to use a typical sauce pan cover. There are several problems with this sauce pan cover. First, most sauce pan covers are not transparent to enable the observation of the interior of the frying pan; second, there is no venting means to discharge the vapors generated during the frying process; third, the covers have to be removed to enable various cooking operations such as introduction, removal, stirring or turning over of food. Since the wall of a frying pan is very low and typically 1 to 2 inches, even a partial opening of the sauce pan cover exposes large unshielded peripheral opening through which spatters can escape. Therefore, there have been several methods mentioned in the prior art addressing these problems, the most challenging of which is preventing spatters from escaping out of the frying pan during performance of the various cooking operations.
For examples: a shielding screen cover that is flat or convex with a circular rim (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,498,534; 3,807,596; 4,108,332); a conical cover made with circular tiers of vent slots (U.S. Pat. No. 534,138); a flat plate cover with a center hole for venting, over which is another flat plate (U.S. Pat. No. 2,510,196); a dome-shaped lid cover with venting holes on side and top (U.S. Pat. No. 2,867,352); hinged covers are described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,350,243; 2,587,773; 4,258,694; 4,403,711. However, while some of these methods provided for venting or the convenience of the covers being hinged and not needing a second hand to hold them opened, all of them provided shielding only if they are to remain in place and are not much more effective in preventing the escape of spatters as the typical sauce pan covers because they have to be removed or be held partially opened to perform any of those cooking operations of introduction, removal, stirring or turning over of food.
The following patents address the need for performing the cooking operations without having to remove the device by providing a window opening in the device: Canada Pat. No. 466,473; U.S. Pat. Nos. 333,894; 1,722,513; 168,026; 2,198,158; 2,629,511; 2,680,532; 3,999,680. However, because of the unshielded window opening, they provide only partial protection. Furthermore, the first three patents teach the method wherein the device houses the entire frying pan including the heat source. Because spattered and condensed hot oil and moisture do not drip back to the fry pan but to the bottom of the device and are in the vicinity of the heat source, there is the danger of starting a dangerous grease fire. Additionally, the hot oil fumes filling the inside of the device presents a very dangerous explosive fire hazard. This is specially so if the heat source is an open fire.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,807,271; 2,623,516; 3,082,566 further improve the above mentioned prior art by providing a protective cover for the window opening. Venting of gases is provided in the first patent by having vent holes and in the third patent venting is through screens. However, since these three methods also house the entire frying pan and the heat source, they suffer the same danger of oil dripping to the bottom of the device nearing the heat source and corresponding fire hazard. Although a trough is provided at the bottom of the device in the first patent to contain the condensed liquids, their close vicinity to the heat source and overflow potential present the same kind of fire danger as described in previous paragraph. Actually, the explosive fire hazard from trapped oil fumes is more serious with these methods than those devices in the preceding paragraph wherein the window opening has no cover so that there is less trapped oil fumes.
The following prior art attempt to eliminate all of the above deficiencies and is partially but more successful than most prior art in preventing the escape of spatters during the performance of those cooking operations; none of these devices house the heat source; all have also incorporated some means for venting of vapors: Great Britain Pat. No. 25,606; U.S. Pat. Nos. 504,319; 2,614,718; 3,857,381; 4,266,527. These provide a window opening and a protective window cover which can be opened to perform those cooking operations and is closed when not in use. However, all of the windows are at an incline toward the center of the frying pan and since a substantial portion of spattering is directed upward, the greater the incline or the smaller the angle the plane of the window made with the horizontal, the greater the amount of spattering is thrown outside the frying pan when the window cover is opened for the purpose of performing those cooking operations. Furthermore, the window cover has to be opened manually. Still furthermore, if the window cover is to be held partially open for providing partial shielding of the windows during the performance of those cooking functions, a second hand is needed to hold the window cover. This second hand and its arm are therefore brought into close proximity of the hot vapors and spatters shooting out of the partially opened window and are thereby being put into danger of getting burned. And still furthermore, with both hands so preoccupied, there are no hand left to steady the device for holding on to the body of the device specially during stirring of food. Without holding steady the device, the device can be accidentally lifted up from the frying pan by a turner used to perform those cooking operations and thereby creating undue hazards. The British Pat. No. 25,606 describes a truncated oblique conical hood with a hinged or removable cover over an inclined window. The plane of the window in U.S. Pat. No. 504,319 is horizontal and represents the worst case. Furthermore, in order to provide a sufficient and complete observation of the cooking process specially during the removal or stirring of the food, the window cover needs to be completely opened as there are no transparent portion provided in the first three patents. Additionally, the U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,718 provides a device that sits on the bottom of a frying pan and therefore does not completely cover the entire open area of the fry pan. In deep frying, the hot oil or fat is not completely contained within the cover and flows outside of the device and is unprotected. Furthermore, in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,857,381 and 4,266,527, a frying pan is an integral part of the art and the protective hood can not be used with any conventional frying pan.
In the present invention, all the above mentioned problems and deficiencies are successfully solved.